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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1996 Week 7 Hansard (19 June) . . Page.. 1868 ..

MS FOLLETT (continuing):

I want to put the case as simply as I possibly can, and I do so in the face of the most remarkable filibuster and obfuscation put forward by Mr Humphries in his attempt on the Government's part to lend some credence to this issue. The figures that Mrs Carnell tabled in the Assembly yesterday, I want to say first of all, were not prepared for Mr Berry and were not prepared by Mr Berry. They - the figures which Mrs Carnell tabled and which this whole debate is about - were prepared by the Department of Health and Community Care for Mrs Carnell, despite the obfuscation attempted by Mr Humphries. If anybody doubts that, they have only to look at the documents which were prepared for and published by Mr Berry whilst he was Minister. I have here a copy of the ACT Health activity report for the September quarter 1993. Members can peruse that report. They will see that it does include information on separations; on private hospital patient percentages; on average length of stay; on waiting lists, which are shown to be increasing alarmingly; on average length of time on waiting lists - a range of information. Nowhere in this document are figures on day surgery reported.

Members must be very clear that the information on which Mrs Carnell has based her allegations was produced for Mrs Carnell by the Department of Health and Community Care. At no time was it produced for Mr Berry or published by Mr Berry. Another point which I want to make is that the material published has been published in its entirety by Mrs Carnell, not by Mr Berry. The material over which this debate has occurred was produced by Mrs Carnell. Mr Berry has commented on those matters, as is his legitimate right as a member of this Assembly, and he commented in good faith.

Mr Humphries: He called her a liar, and he was wrong.

Mr Berry: I was right on that score.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MS FOLLETT: Thank you. As a consequence of alleged inaccuracies in the material produced for Mrs Carnell and published by Mrs Carnell, I will concede that there may have been inaccuracies in the comments made by Mr Berry, and I am sure that he would concede that as well. But we have no proof whatsoever that the allegation of inaccuracies is in fact proven. We have not been briefed on the matter. We had requested briefing on it and have so far not been supplied with it.

Mr Humphries: By whom?

Mr Berry: You could not do it yesterday. It was all locked away in archives, they told me.

MR SPEAKER: Order!

MS FOLLETT: The matter goes further than that. In her statement yesterday, at which time Mrs Carnell produced what she asserted was proof of the inaccuracy of the figures provided to her and published by her, it became apparent that Mrs Carnell had known for quite some time that those figures were inaccurate. It remains a matter for this Assembly to deal with, I believe, but Mrs Carnell continued to publish those figures after she knew that they were inaccurate.

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